Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Staring at him with a smile splitting my face.
This was happening.
His attorney hummed. “You two are adorable. Your love is really apparent. I think we have this one in the bag.”
The smile I sent her was feigned.
Right.
Totally apparent.
The problem was, it wasn’t all that hard to fake it.
“Expect a call from me after I have more information,” she told Milo. “In the meantime, show your faces around town more often. I like the look.”
She gestured between us, then gathered her things and strode out.
Five minutes and it was done.
I exhaled a ragged breath. “Holy crap, we did it, Milo.”
He squeezed my hand back, those honey-dipped eyes swimming with hope. “Told you that you could pull it off.”
“I’m a great actress,” I mouthed.
His expression deepened, and I knew what he saw because I couldn’t hide what I felt. “Yeah,” he murmured, his voice laden with appreciation.
I sat back to break the intensity before I got lost in it, and I wagged my brows at him. “It looks like you owe me a big, fancy steak dinner, fiancé.”
His brow arched. “Fancy, huh? Not sure that’s what I’d call this place.”
“Are you kidding me? I’ll bet you twenty bucks they have a killer chicken fried steak. Now show me the love, Milo Hendricks.”
“Love, huh?”
I grinned at him. “Mad, mad love.”
I grabbed the plastic menu and started to peruse it before it came to mean something I couldn’t let it.
I gasped when Milo clutched my knee from under the table. I lowered the menu, peering at him from over the top. My breaths shallow, and my stupid heart racing.
“Thank you,” he rumbled, so low.
I forced down the truth of what I felt. “It’s all good, Milo. It’s what friends do.”
“That’s it. I’m not standing here and letting him get away with this crap. I won’t be bullied.”
We’d come out after dinner to find Milo’s windshield smashed in.
I mean, seriously, what a freaking jerk. Ruining our win. This evening that Milo and I had spent like normal people, laughing and joking over dinner.
A really freaking delish chicken fried steak dinner.
I dialed and had the phone pressed to my ear before Milo could stop me.
“Tessa, what are you doing? I don’t think—” Milo wheezed just as the bitter voice answered on the opposite end of the line.
“Tessa.” Karl’s laughter was cynical.
Or sinister.
Was there a difference? I couldn’t tell.
“I take it you’ve realized the error in your ways.”
I couldn’t even scoff out a witty rebuttal. Because tears stung my eyes as I gritted my teeth and hissed, “That’s enough, Karl. I hurt your ego. I get it. You’re upset. But what you’re doing? This isn’t okay.”
“What the hell are you rambling about, Tessa? I don’t have time for your nonsense.”
That time, I did scoff. “You don’t have time for this, but you have time to come to my office and threaten me? Time to have Milo chased down and beaten? Time to bash his windshield in? Nice, Karl. I’d call it childish if what you’re doing wasn’t so dangerous.”
He laughed a disbelieving sound. “As much as I’d love to witness your boyfriend get the beating he deserves, I sadly can’t take credit. I’m in London right now.”
Air huffed from my nose. “Save it, Karl. I know you hired someone to hurt him. This ends now, or I’m going to the police, and yeah, you can toss your connections all over the place, but everything you said is on video at my office. So why don’t you save your pride and tell your colleagues and friends I got a horribly bad case of the herps and died. Or maybe I give really terrible head. Or heck, here’s an idea, you can just say you and I ended up not working out. Whatever it is, just leave us alone. And to be clear, I’ll be paying you back. It will be slow, but I will get every dollar you spent on Bobby back to you.”
I had a plan.
Aspirations, too.
It wasn’t like I could let Milo take care of Bobby forever.
Milo, who was a shaken bottle of that mayhem beside me.
Pacing one step back and forth while he looked like he was about to rip the phone from my hand.
Or go on a rampage.
I held a finger up at him like the gesture could keep him tamed.
Milo grunted.
“If you think I’d take that kind of risk for you, Tessa, you’re delusional.” Condescension lined Karl’s voice. “I’ll wait until you come to your senses. It’s only a matter of time before you come crawling back, and I guarantee it will be with you on your hands and knees.”
Confusion clouded my head, and the words were thin when I released them. “You tried to force me...”
“You should get over yourself.”
I stared blankly.
Get over myself?
Was he serious? After everything he’d done?
I felt lightheaded as a rush of unease flitted through my consciousness. I shifted to look at Milo, who had opened his door.